Ever found yourself buying your own birthday cake because life's whirlwind left your special day as an afterthought? I've been there, and let me tell you, it sparked a personal revolution. On this journey through my birthday philosophy, rooted deeply in cherished family traditions and the zest for marking each year with something unforgettable, I share how I transformed my neglected birthdays into days filled with adventure and joy—from ziplining to horseback riding, to savoring the magic of Paris. If you've ever longed to make your birthday more than just another date on the calendar, join me as I recount the steps I've taken to ensure each year is celebrated with gusto and the company of loved ones or new acquaintances met during travels.
This isn't just about splurging on grand trips—though they certainly have their place—it's about crafting moments that resonate, whether close to home or in far-off lands. With a mix of personal reflections and practical ideas, I invite you to infuse your birthdays with memorable activities and the warmth of shared experiences. Planning your next birthday? Let this episode be the spark that ignites a new tradition, encouraging you to gather friends, family, or even join a tour group to transform your celebration into something extraordinary. The day we're born is a milestone, and it's high time we honor that with the joy and companionship it deserves.
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Speaker 1:
Hello sister travelers. Well, it is April and it is my birthday month. I believe birthdays should be celebrated and growing up this was a big deal in my family. We always had a celebration of some sort. We had cake. That was often homemade cake, customized cake made by my grandmother. Occasionally we would be allowed to have parties. So it was a time of celebration and I tried to keep that idea of birthdays being special going.
Speaker 1:
Once I had kids and so with their birthdays, yes, we had cake, we had celebrations, occasional parties, but always made sure that we recognize their birthdays. But because of that, my personal birthday, as my kids were growing up and they were young, kind of got neglected and often may have been even a second thought. And there were birthdays where I actually had to buy my own cake. So it was around age 47 that I decided I was going to do something fun, adventurous or just something memorable on my birthday or for my birthday. And so I began doing adventures with my I made sure of my family it was the four of us typically Ideas like ziplining, a ropes course, we did a private painting class, horseback riding, I did a girls weekend retreat and I've been to Belize on my birthday, and then last year I was actually in Paris for my birthday.
Speaker 1:
Now, I'm not saying you have to travel for your birthday, but I hear a lot of women that, especially for those milestone birthdays 50th, 55th, 60th, 70th birthday they want to do something epic, and so they plan these travels around the birthday, which is awesome, very awesome, and I've done a few of those myself. It doesn't always have to be that way, but I believe that your birthday should be celebrated in some way with some sort of memorable activity and adventure, whether that's near or far, and I know that this is a solo travel podcast. However, I'm of the mindset that your birthday should be celebrated with other people, and that could mean a number of different ways. If you're incorporating travel, obviously you can go with somebody, go with a best friend, maybe a spouse, maybe a sibling, someone to enjoy and remember that special occasion with. You could also do a tour. Even though you'd be solo, you would be with other people and once they find out it's your birthday, they're going to be celebrating with you on that tour. So there's no shortage of that. I'm sure that would happen if you let them know that, but I find that many people don't like to be alone on their birthdays.
Speaker 1:
I have had a few of those and they're not fun, but there have been times when I have wanted that. They're not fun, but there have been times when I have wanted that, meaning I've needed that reflective time on or around my birthday to kind of look at my year, whether it's looking back or looking forward, right, Having that time to do that often occurs, you know, when we turn another year older, we get a little more pensive and thinking about how little time we have each year that we get older and trying to seize those moments. So, in general, I'm not discouraging solo trips, of course, for your birthday, but in this case I'm going to actually encourage you, have someone join you on your birthday celebration, especially if you're traveling. And so, as I mentioned before, some ideas for you, because I want you to make your birthday special and different ways you could do that, of course, are some of the ideas I gave earlier that we did as a family, a small family that was four of us, or you can just pick a friend to do it with, but someone to share the experience with. It can be local, it could be a hike, it could be going to a museum with somebody or alone. It could be anything of those, or it could be a cruise that also could be done alone or with somebody. It could be an epic trip, like going to to Bora Bora with your friend. Those are types of trips that might be more enjoyable sharing with somebody, especially if it's to celebrate and commemorate your birthday because that's a special day.
Speaker 1:
I don't care what anybody says, the day you are born is a special day and it should be celebrated as such. So I'm hoping that you know if you have a birthday coming up. If you haven't had your birthday yet this year, I want you to plan something. Plan something preferably, maybe with somebody, so that someone else could appreciate you and celebrate with you your birthday. And it could be, like I said, it doesn't have to be this huge trip. It could be something local, somewhere you can drive to, or maybe um you know a short flight somewhere that's not gonna cost an arm and a leg. However, if your birthday's not till the end of 2024, you could potentially still get a really good travel adventure in and consider that and consider having someone join you, possibly.
Speaker 1:
I've had a woman respond and saying that there's pros and cons of you know, going solo for a birthday trip, and I think part of it is we as humans. We need that human contact, we need that community, especially around our birthdays Typically. We want to share that with other people and they want to share it with you. So I'm encouraging outside of this episode, you know, do solo travel, get out there, have those adventures.
Speaker 1:
But for this one, I'm encouraging you to get out there and do a birthday adventure, whatever that means to you, and please don't let your day go by without acknowledging it, without celebrating it in some way. Celebrating it in some way, and I hope this encourages you not only to get out there and have an adventure, but to maybe, for this scenario, to share an adventure with somebody, somebody special to you, and they can enjoy your company as well. So get out there and celebrate you, celebrate your birthday this year. Sisters and sisters, I would love to hear where you're planning to go for your birthday or if you're doing something else and join my Facebook group to share that. This coming week I will have that question in the Facebook group to see where people are planning to go for their birthday and if they are going solo or with somebody. So I hope to hear some of that feedback in the Facebook group. I'd love to hear where your adventures take you.